Children find safety at Harbor House

Earlier this year, Harbor House was bustling with 25 children staying in shelter with 11 moms. With children ranging in age from newborn to teenagers, Keri McGregor, program director, says those times are both “amazing and bonkers” as staff try to balance meals, schooling, counseling and advocacy when Harbor House is at full capacity.

Safety for every member of the family is the top priority. When one mother, who had recently delivered a healthy baby despite being abused throughout her pregnancy, came to shelter, her older children were missing. The abuser had taken them and she didn’t know where they were. While she was safe in shelter with the newborn, she was worried sick about her other children. After two days, she learned the children had been found and were safe. Harbor House staff worked with her and DCF to reunite the family at the shelter.

A few days later, Keri says the mother told her, “my kids just told me this morning that they haven’t felt this safe and loved in a long time.”

Those words meant so much to Keri and the Harbor House staff.

“This is an example of what our families have been through prior to coming into services and, sometimes, what we are working on with them in just in the first couple weeks,” Keri says. “Many families have situations to resolve before we can even begin to address their goals and next steps. It’s safety first with every single person.”